At the foot of 20-year-old Cody Splane’s bed, a television sits atop a bookshelf. Two Buddha candles burn on either side of the room. The space shows common signs of most Orange County college students, but in the far corner hangs what may seem like an outdated relic – a wooden cassette display.

“If I go to any show or if I get a paycheck, it’s pretty much going for a cassette,” Splane admits. Splane started collecting cassettes in December after he got his first record player, which came equipped with a tape deck. Ever since, he has taken interest in the retro novelty.

And he isn’t alone. Echoing the recent resurgence in vinyl records, cassettes are suddenly in vogue with an audience that largely wasn’t born when the rectangular format was at its peak of popularity in the ’80s.

Saturday’s first International Cassette Store Day plans to reel in even more attention. Much like April’s Record Store Day, which since 2007 has been yielding mad dashes to packed independent outlets for rare releases, this weekend’s event will put into circulation several exclusive cassettes from cutting-edge acts such as the Flaming Lips, Deerhunter, Animal Collective and At the Drive-In. There also will be in-store performances at participating shops around the world.